Sign-changing exhibitor



Feb. 8

LA.' MARIOLLE ET 4u.

SIGN CHANGING `EXHIBITOR Filed Nov. 24, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb' 8 1927' A. MABIOLLE r-:T Al.

SIGN CHANGING EXHIBITOR A Filed Nov. 24, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet Feb@ s, 1927.

A. MARIOLLE ETAL SIGN CHANGING EXHIBITOR 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov. 24

mmm/Tomi AuesT/VAR/oue v 6A s ran MAR/@LAE Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

@triste AUGUST MARIQLLE yArm GASTON iranienne, OE OAKLAND, @elegante-Arm RAYMOND SMARIOLLE, OFINEW YORK, N. Y..

sieno-.erlesene mentiras Application meting-venite; 24, 1924,. nserenita, 751,944.;

This invention I relates to sign exhibitingdevices wherein a nuernber1 of signs `7are stored'wvithin a 1cabinet land kautritiratially exhibited one ,atten the other,

An object ot' the invention is to provide adevice ol this; eharaeteruwhieh `Willbe leonsiderably; siinpler and less ,e'2;]g` e: r 1siveI` lin construction than v the previous devices 'per-X formngthe Same, duty, Priiffii'ily[be@euse@tl theluse, of ordinaryl thinv cardloeard beets which ,bear thev siens, and ,beaiiseef a novel method surpottinsithe Sheets f The ordinary ,oartlboarfd sheets have I not been used for this l purposelpreviousgly be` Y use of the heavier'rslieetsor of Canvas r'itefy rial involves considerable aclditionall eX'-A pense. We have devisela .novel typeert' sheet holderV which permits the use wof thefcardf boar-dor thinpaper, sheets Witheet any dangerot tearing-I theni l and :which permits them to 'be handled 'in' a oonnparativkely small space.

With. the above notedfaiid, other `objectsv in view, the invention-1corisists.in certain novel features of construetipnand-eornblltf tions and` arrangementspf xpar ts', `as `Will'be more fully hereinaiter; Setfforth. andl pointed out, in the claims. Thefinvention ymay be more fully unde rstood. from tliexlfollotving description in connection with the acconti? 'Pfmvine drawings, wherein-r' The diiznvingsy acoornpanyingl this lappligea.- tion show the inventionand,l itsjniporft'ant details. f

Figure l' isranelevat-ion of the cabinet showing. what We Willterin the. front side,

andipartlyg broken away, the Qit'jshould be noted thatinthev eonstruqtionhshovvn both front and back of the oabinetpresentth'e same appestranee,l and bothl `are provided with sign viewing panels. Y t

Figure 2. is a ,horizontal crossfseetion lof Figurel.

Figu re Aas a vertieel l.crosssection taken along line oftFigur-elQthe signhslieet-s;

' beingornitted forthe sake of'olearnessll Figure VLlis `an enlarged fragmentary portionof the device taken along linetll of Figure 2.v Y

Figure 5 is an enlarged fraginientarypertion ofgthe devieelas, shownI in. Figure showing the, tralc k, eh'ainhand sign kicker.

moreClearly-f Y SUPPtDg frame.

Bilg, 10 is an 'enlargedbroken ,vertical SECT tional view through the traine.

Briefly described withy a viexvto making f thendetailed' description more easily' understood, thevv invention consists vof a lez'tloiiietfl inJ lvhicha plurality of vertically arranged signs are placed, a viewing panel or opening@ rearranged on 'opposite sides of the cabinet, yand. suitable ymechanism lcarries the signs; "which are on Heniblesheets, one r at.

aptiineri'ron'il'one side of'the'palokfot signs deposits it on the other side-thus 'carryyingrit troni' one1 viewingpanel to the'other 1- I Y 1 Y n and at the sanievtnne reversing it side for side so that asv a given sign again reafehes the iirst panel troni 'Whiehit Wasfoarried,

the opposite or reverse side of the iie'xible y sheet lwill be exposed to it,tlius `rnaki'ng both sides A of the signwsheet available forl ditterent signs and'exposing thernl alternately to both panels.' f' i E.

Theilegiblesign sheets 2 .are each sup ported b vyanld between a vertically arranged pair ofi bar s' .at oppsiteV vertical edges 'of the sheet and clampedl at each ofthe four 'corners to a liub'f the extreme endsI of' theV bars of each, pairv by a seiewloi; pin, 6

. W'h'ieh passes vfirst through the end ot one of tlie'bars 4 `and then througlrthe :end of a flexible stripl of `metal Whielibverlies the flexible sign'sheet 2 along the upperand lower horizontal margins', thenthrougli the` second bar 4 on the other sidev ofl 'the sign sheet and k'then throughv the lsecond flexible ystrip lying parallel tothe first. strip, and

theninto thefhubf 5 i secured; to 1the last verticallbar. The :tieni/ble strips periznit the sign'y and trarne to bendlin one rdir'e'etion yWhilethe,tWoivertiCal double'bars'A elarnped t0. aiidatL the side edgesothe sign sheet hold the flexible sign straight in a vertical direction and the hubs 5 have projecting ends 8 extending between two tracks 9 ar.- ranged Yin duplicate at both ends of the bars for guiding the bars and sign sheets from Vshaft* 11 and which shaft also carries sprockets 12 one above and one below the top and bottom respectively of the signs, and within the channel formed by theV double tracks are endless chains 18 passing around the sprockets so as to be simultaneously set in motion upon revolving the shaft.

. The shaft passes through a false floor 1li in the cabinet and carries a worm wheel 15 driven by a worm 16 on a shaft 17 transversely arranged in the cabinet below the floor and provided with a drive pulley 18 belted at 19 to a motor 2() also below the floor and which serves as the `power drive for the mechanism as well as to drive a phonograph 21 through means Aof another belt 22.

This phonograph has its horn 28 projecting through the sidewall of the cabinet and while it has no direct bearing on the invention, is illustrative of the use of the driving motor 2O and extra under floor space'for an announcing device for the signs displayed or qualities of the merchandise advertised, tho it may be mentioned that the phonograph may represent a radio or other noise maker calculated to attract people to view the changing signs.

The changing of the signs from one side of theV pack to the other is effected by a iinger 24 on each chain which as they simultaneously travel around theA tracks in the direction of the arrow engage respectively the upper and lower extending ends 8 of the rods 2 and drag a sign from the back side of the pack around the cylinder to the front side of the pack and when registered over the front side of the pack the fingers on the driving chains pass out of engagement with the bar extensions by being deflected Ythrough the chains passing over idler sprockets 25, 26, and the sign thus released is pushed into the pack by a kicker to be later described.

Upon being thus pushed into the stack, the signs are all moved toward the back side of the cabinet and the rearinost one is pushed out into the line of travel of the rear run of chains so thatthe oncoming` finger will, upon reaching the right hand edge 0f the sign as seen in Figure 2), engage the ends of its bar andfcarry or drag it from its position at the rear viewing panel over the cylinbe exposed to view until the same fingersV pick up the rear sign and carry it over the cylinder.

l To push the deposited sign squarely into o the pack, the kicker is arranged to simultaneously push the four ent s of the vertical bars and while this device may assume va variety of forms to effect the desired result,

we here show it as comprising two horizontal shafts 29 one at the top and one at the bottom of the signs, The shafts 29 are journaled in bearings in the outer end portions of posts 44, one of which is shown in Figure 8. The posts for the upper and lower shafts are respectively secured to the top of cabinet 1 and the false floor 14. Lugs with projecting pins 30 are rigidly secured at the opposite end portions of the shafts 29 and en-` gage levers i3 pivoted to brackets 45 carried by posts 44 and disposed adjacentto Vthe tops of the tracks 9 and adapted upon being moved by the shafts to strike the bars to push the signinto the pack. The levers are urged in a'direction away from the pack by a spring 81 secured to a crank arm 32 on the shaft, and another arm 83 is provided on the shafts projecting into the path of travel of the chain finger 24: so that shortly Vafter the chain finger has disengaged the deposited sign, it lifts the arm 88 in passing and thus revolves the shaft and throws the free ends of the levers 8O against the bars to push. the sign as described.

As soon as the chain finger in traveling clears the arm 38 the spring 31 pulls the shaft in the reverse direction and thereby the levers out of the way to clear thetrack for the next sign.

As each deposited sign is pushed into the` pack the sign on the opposite side is released and pushed into the path of travel. ofthe chain as described and to insure a proper action and hold the signs vertical, a latch arrangement as shown in Figure 7 is Yprovided above and below the signs to operate on the bars or extensions as indicated.

rllhis latch'coinprises two portions 34, 35 pivote-d respectively at 36, 37 and coacting through means of a tooth 38 on one lever engaging a notch in the other whereby when the bar 2 of the deposited sign is pushed into the pack, the hooked end of the lever is raised to receive the bar andsimultaneously the hooked end of lever 84 is raised to Iii) release the bar'Q so that the rear sign will be ejected into the path of travel of the chain finger as described.

The signs are conveniently illumina-ted from electric globes 39 concealed beneath a cowl 40 above each panel. n

To insert or remove the signs, a door .41 is provided at the front and back of the cabinet preferably hinged as indicated at 42.

Having thus described our invention, it will be seen to transfer the signs horizontally from one side of the pack to the other but it will be apparent that the device may be turned on the edge so that the signs will travel vertically if desired.

It should be noted that although we show a special flexible frame in which each sign is clamped, it is possible to modify this construction considerably, or, in the case 0f signs made on thin sheet material, to. dispense with all or most of it, therefore, when in our claims we say flexible sign' sheets, it is intended to include any such supporting structure as may be necessary to sustainv -the sheet and adapt it for transporting from one position to the other as described.

We claim:

l. A frame device for a flexible generally rectangular sign sheet including rigid framing bars connected to two opposite side edges of the sheet and clamping said sheet' edges between them, and flexible framing bars connected to the other two side edges of the sheet and clamping said edges betweenthem.

2. A frame device for a flexible generally rectangular sign sheet including rigid framing bars connected to two opposite side edges of the sheet and clamping said sheet edges between them, and flexible framing bars connected to the other two` side edges of the sheet and clamping said edges between them,

said exible framing bars being connected at their ends to the ends of the rigid frame bars.

3. A frame device for a flexible generally rectangular sign sheet including rigid fraining bars connected to two opposite side edges of the sheet and clamping said sheetedges between them, and' flexible framing bars connected to the other two side edges of the sheet and clamping said edges between them, hubs at the ends of the rifridl framing bars including extensions adapted to enter tracks to guide the movement ofthe frame.

4L. A framing device for a flexible displayicard including pairs of rigid frame members between which two opposite edges f of the card are clamped, and pairs of flexible frame members between which the other two opposite side edges of the card are clamped.

5. A framing device for a flexible display card including pairs of rigid frame Ymembers between which two opposite edges of the card are clamped, and pairs of flexible frame members between which the other twoopposite side edges of the card are clamped, and securing devices connecting the ends Vof the pairs of flexible frame bars tothe ends of the pairs of rigid frame bars and passed through the corners of the card.

6. A frame for flexible display cards of rectangular shape including four pairs of framing bars, twoo-pposite pairs of framing bars being rigid and the other two pairs being flexible.

7. A frame for fiexible display cardsof rectangular shape including fourV pairs of framing bars, two opposite pairs offraining bars being rigid and the other two pairs being flexible, and a hub secured toI the endsA of the pairs of rigid frame bars by connecting devices which also secure the rigid 

